For Gabbie Butler, it was not having a glass of wine after work.
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The 25-year-old was forced to make more than one adjustment when she took part in last year’s Dry July, and said this proved to be one of the hardest.
“It was personally challenging,” she said.
“I don’t mind going to the pub after work, so it was a bit weird not doing it.”
Not only did she make it through the month, but she will again be giving up alcohol as part of this year’s initiative.
Ms Butler said the “positive experience” of her first time led her to again make the commitment.
“I spend a lot of time out and about with hospitality people, so I really enjoyed finding a way to still have fun without alcohol,” she said.
“When you are out, you feel a certain amount of social pressure to drink, but once I told people I was doing Dry July, they were really supportive.
“My friends would always buy me lemonade to help out.”
As a social drinker, Ms Butler is among the targets of what Dry July chief executive Brett Macdonald describes as a “light-hearted” campaign.
While not as harmful as chronic alcoholism, statistics show drinking to excess on a night out can still impact communities.
According to the 2016 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, single-occasion risky drinkers are seven-and-a-half times more likely to miss work than low-risk drinkers.
They are also about eight times more likely to injure themselves or someone else, and 3.4 times more likely to drive while intoxicated.
Anglicare Alcohol and Other Drugs social worker Katrina Bester said single-occasion risky drinkers made up for “about 30 per cent” of her overall clientele.
“People drink to celebrate, commiserate, relax, or just because they can,” she said.
“It’s so culturally acceptable and so readily available at the same time.
“There is pressure not only on the young, but also middle-aged people as well.”
First launched in 2008, Dry July raises funds for a range of charities throughout Australia through donations to its participants.
Beneficiaries include the Cancer Council, Leukaemia Foundation, Look Good Feel Better and the Prostate Foundation of Australia.
To donate to Ms Butler, go to http://www.dryjuly.com/users/gabbie-butler-2.
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